Anyone been to Iceland?
Discussion
...If so, how does this tour sound to you?
http://iceland.nordicvisitor.com/travel-deals/hone...
As far as I can see it works out at about £1,700 per person before flights, fuel, food etc. which sounds like a lot of money.
http://iceland.nordicvisitor.com/travel-deals/hone...
As far as I can see it works out at about £1,700 per person before flights, fuel, food etc. which sounds like a lot of money.
Iceland is really easy to yourself booking everything seperately.
Make sure you spend at night at Ranga.
http://www.hotelranga.is/
Rooms are great - fish in the restaurant is on a different level.
Make sure you spend at night at Ranga.
http://www.hotelranga.is/
Rooms are great - fish in the restaurant is on a different level.
I'm quite curious. To be blunt, I like the convenience of a package tour, but this one seems to be charging a hell of a mark up ... or is that just how much travelling in Iceland costs? I've heard tales of it being expensive, but I thought that was mostly for drinks. 
We'd be looking at either early August or mid-September depending on the plan. It's for a honeymoon and we've considered everything from Greece to the Scottish Highlands without making a decision just yet. I've never been to Iceland or anywhere in Scandinavia, but it's always appealed.
We'd be looking at either early August or mid-September depending on the plan. It's for a honeymoon and we've considered everything from Greece to the Scottish Highlands without making a decision just yet. I've never been to Iceland or anywhere in Scandinavia, but it's always appealed.
I didn't find Iceland THAT expensive. Think London prices with an extra £ on a beer. Certainly not as bad as a Paris for example.
Car hire is expensive due to the risk that you will write it off or sandstorms etc killing the paint.
Hotels are reasonably priced and flights are cheap on Easyjet from Luton.
I would say go for it - its a stunning place. But then so are the Scottish Highlands, especially if you stay in the Torridon for a few nights.
Car hire is expensive due to the risk that you will write it off or sandstorms etc killing the paint.
Hotels are reasonably priced and flights are cheap on Easyjet from Luton.
I would say go for it - its a stunning place. But then so are the Scottish Highlands, especially if you stay in the Torridon for a few nights.
Iceland is not as expensive as you may think. That is definitely not to say it is cheap though. Car rentals are very expensive, fuel isn't cheap either, and food and drink is pricey. Accommodation is much the same as many other places though. No one uses cash either, it's all cards.
I did the ring road last year and stayed in the following places:
- Reykjavik
- Selfoss
- Vik
- Skaftafell NP
- Hofn
- Husavik
- Akureyri
- Stykkisholmur
It's approx 900 miles, though i did 2,500! The ring road is ~90% paved, so easy to drive around. I would highly recommend a 4x4 though, as it makes the off road trips far easier. Trips to places like Landmannalaugar are going to be far less stressful with the appropriate vehicle, though do check your rental isn't ring road only. Apparently they can be very alert on inappropriate usage of cars.
It was an amazing trip, and i would recommend it to everyone. Especially if you are interested in the outdoors, and dont mind the driving distances. Outside of Reykjavik the vast majority of towns you pass are very small. There aren't many places to eat, and accommodation can be difficult to find if you dont pre book at popular times. I would highly recommend researching as much as you can so you know where to stay+eat.
I was there for 11 days (any less and it would have been way too rushed for the distance), and this is the breakdown of what i did:
1. Fly in, look around Reykjavik and stay in Reykjavik
2. Golden Circle (Thingvellir, Gullfoss, Geysir, etc...), stay in Selfoss
3. Landmannalaugar, Haifoss, Hjalparfoss, stay in Selfoss
4. Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, wrecked C47, Reynisfjara, stayed in Vik
5. Skaftafell National Park, Svartifoss, glacier walking, stayed in Skaftafell
6. Fjallsarlon, Jokulsarlon, stayed in Hofn
7. East coast, Dettifoss, Myvatn, Krafla, stayed in Husavik
8. Myvatn, whale watching, stayed in Husavik
9. Godafoss, stayed in Akureyri
10. Snaefellsness peninsular, Kirkjufell, stayed in Stykkisholmur
11. Reykjavik, Inside the Volcano tour, fly out
This was in June, and the weather was far better than i feared. I had one afternoon of rain (i was driving, so it was ok), and the rest was mostly dry, and sunny! It was also virtually 24hrs of daylight, which was ideal for photography.
If you have any questions, please ask.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthoulb/sets/721576... <- These are the photos on Flickr. All are geotagged, so you can see where they were taken.
I did the ring road last year and stayed in the following places:
- Reykjavik
- Selfoss
- Vik
- Skaftafell NP
- Hofn
- Husavik
- Akureyri
- Stykkisholmur
It's approx 900 miles, though i did 2,500! The ring road is ~90% paved, so easy to drive around. I would highly recommend a 4x4 though, as it makes the off road trips far easier. Trips to places like Landmannalaugar are going to be far less stressful with the appropriate vehicle, though do check your rental isn't ring road only. Apparently they can be very alert on inappropriate usage of cars.
It was an amazing trip, and i would recommend it to everyone. Especially if you are interested in the outdoors, and dont mind the driving distances. Outside of Reykjavik the vast majority of towns you pass are very small. There aren't many places to eat, and accommodation can be difficult to find if you dont pre book at popular times. I would highly recommend researching as much as you can so you know where to stay+eat.
I was there for 11 days (any less and it would have been way too rushed for the distance), and this is the breakdown of what i did:
1. Fly in, look around Reykjavik and stay in Reykjavik
2. Golden Circle (Thingvellir, Gullfoss, Geysir, etc...), stay in Selfoss
3. Landmannalaugar, Haifoss, Hjalparfoss, stay in Selfoss
4. Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, wrecked C47, Reynisfjara, stayed in Vik
5. Skaftafell National Park, Svartifoss, glacier walking, stayed in Skaftafell
6. Fjallsarlon, Jokulsarlon, stayed in Hofn
7. East coast, Dettifoss, Myvatn, Krafla, stayed in Husavik
8. Myvatn, whale watching, stayed in Husavik
9. Godafoss, stayed in Akureyri
10. Snaefellsness peninsular, Kirkjufell, stayed in Stykkisholmur
11. Reykjavik, Inside the Volcano tour, fly out
This was in June, and the weather was far better than i feared. I had one afternoon of rain (i was driving, so it was ok), and the rest was mostly dry, and sunny! It was also virtually 24hrs of daylight, which was ideal for photography.
If you have any questions, please ask.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthoulb/sets/721576... <- These are the photos on Flickr. All are geotagged, so you can see where they were taken.
Edited by Matt.. on Friday 22 March 19:14
Edited by Matt.. on Saturday 23 March 16:39
Art0ir said:
Wow that looks beautiful. Can you give a ball park figure of what a similar trip would cost all in?
Flights: £350Accommodation: ~£85/day
Food: ~£20/day
Car: £700
Fuel: £450
Inside The Volcano tour: £180
So approx £3k.
I was also on my own and it was not luxurious. But i did drive a long way, and not have the cheapest flights.
Matt.. said:
Art0ir said:
Wow that looks beautiful. Can you give a ball park figure of what a similar trip would cost all in?
Flights: £350Accommodation: ~£85/day
Food: ~£20/day
Car: £700
Fuel: £450
Inside The Volcano tour: £180
So approx £3k.
I was also on my own and it was not luxurious. But i did drive a long way, and not have the cheapest flights.
Art0ir said:
Brilliant cheers. Now to convince the misses that she would really prefer volcanoes to sun and sea...
It always surprises me how few people think of Iceland as a destination. It's a 3hr flight, it has absolutely amazing scenery, everyone speaks English (ok so that might be a negative), and it's incredibly easy to travel around. If you like the outdoors then there are few better places within a 3hr flight.Cheers Matt. Certainly some food for thought.
Sounds like once we've thrown in a bit of honeymoon luxury we're looking at £3000 per person for a week all-in. Not cheap, but it looks like an incredible place to visit. I just fear it might be the sort of thing that appeals to me more than the future Mrs Chris71. There again, the opposite would be true if it was a beach holiday ... maybe we'll toss a coin in the end.
Sounds like once we've thrown in a bit of honeymoon luxury we're looking at £3000 per person for a week all-in. Not cheap, but it looks like an incredible place to visit. I just fear it might be the sort of thing that appeals to me more than the future Mrs Chris71. There again, the opposite would be true if it was a beach holiday ... maybe we'll toss a coin in the end.
I went early this month.
Its not too expensive really - especially if you are used to London prices. Its cheaper than Paris for better food (IMO) and service.
I flew in on the Sunday night, saw the northen lights in the cab, then went caving on the monday and looked around the city for the rest of the day. However, it all went a bit pear shaped after this as the rest of the trip was pretty much cancelled due to high winds and tons of snow! So we didnt get to see much at all - the day we flew out was the first day everything was all up and running again!
Its not too expensive really - especially if you are used to London prices. Its cheaper than Paris for better food (IMO) and service.
I flew in on the Sunday night, saw the northen lights in the cab, then went caving on the monday and looked around the city for the rest of the day. However, it all went a bit pear shaped after this as the rest of the trip was pretty much cancelled due to high winds and tons of snow! So we didnt get to see much at all - the day we flew out was the first day everything was all up and running again!
Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff